Shook.



U. G. HOLLEY.

Am r 9 n 0% E Z v.

MM we U. G. HOLLEY.

SHOOK.

APPLICATION FILED N 0V. s, 1911.

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cusses e. HOLLEY, or SIKESTON, mssoum. snoox.

"Specification of letteri Patent.

Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

Application filed November 8, 1911. Serial No. 889,219.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Unrssns G. Homer, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sikeston, in the county of Scott and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Shooks, of which the followm is a specification.

This invention relates to boxes or crates of the type known as shooks, and the rimary object of the invention is to provi e a wood bound device of this class having flexible metal connecting devices solely at the edges of the sides, top and bottom or body members in contradistinction to other like devices having continuous wire strand binders extending fully over the said members, and to embody ends or end panels which are made up or completed in fixed form before application and securement to the body members to insure accuracy and expedition in the assemblage of the ends and members.

A further object of the invention is to provide an end or end panel for a shook having a fixed structure or association of its parts when appliedto the shook members and to which the said members are secured.

A still further object of the invention is to .provide a shook having side and top and bottom members with connecting means only bridging or extending over the contiguous edges of said members and terminally secured in the latter adjacent to said edges to form flexible metal connecting devices for the members which may be laid out in fiat connected condition, and complete ends or end panels that may also be disposed flat for convenience in reducing the bulk of the complete device for shipping and to facilitate setting up and positively connecting the several parts for service.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shook shown assembled and closed and embodying the features of the invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts of the shook partially detached and open. Fig.

3 is a similar view showing the ends or end. panels and the body of the shook fully detached and separated, the body being laid out in flat condition. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of ends or end panels showing slightly modified forms.

'The numerals 5, 6, 7 and 8 designate the front, rear and top andbottomsides ormembers of the body of the improved shook which as usual are constructed of tin material or veneer. Each side or member has applied to opposite ends and at an intermediate point battens or reinforcin strips 9 which are secured by staples 10 driven therethrough at intervals and upset or clenched against the inner surfaces of the said sides or members. The battens or strips 9 are beveled off at their opposite ends as at 11 adjacent to the side edges of the members 5, 6, 7

and '8, and driven into the ends of the battens or strips and bridging or extending across the contiguous side edges of the members 5,'6, 7 and 8 are flexible metal devices 12, one of these devices being driven in each pair of contiguous ends of the battens or strips 9 and serving as connecting means for the said members to which the battens are secured. The terminals of the devices 12 are driven through the battens 9 and the adjacent portions of the members 5, 6, 7 and 8 and are also upset against the inner sides of said members. One set of the devices 12 is cut to provide free pliable ends for separably fasteningthe contiguous edges of two of the members, as for instance the members 5 and 7, the said separable end being twisted as at 12 when the shook is closed and ready for shipment. strips 9 reinforce and strengthen or provide a wood binding for the members 5, 6, 7' and 8 to give greater nailing strength forthe members relatively to the ends and also render the construction of the shook as an entirety more durable and efiicient by reason of the fact that a greater securing thickness of material for the staples 10 and 12 is provided. The beveled ends of the battens or strips 9 also give a clearance at the contiguous edges o the members 5, .6, 7 and 8 so that said members may be laid out flat for shipment in bulk and the devices 12 may extend ,over these beveled ends, as clearly shown by Fig. 1. The devices 12 are of pliable wire that will not readily break but will easily bend to adapt themselves to the open and closed positions of the members 5, 6,'7and8...

A material advantage results from theuse of the wooden battens or'binders 9 and the flexible connecting devices 12 relatively to the usual constructions of analogous devices having lengths of wire extending fully The battens or over and associating all of the side members of shooks by reason of the fact that if any one of the connecting devices should become impaired and fail to perform its function it may be readil removed and replaced without necessitating the separation of all of the side members in line with the inefiicient connecting device, and, furthermore, the heads of the staples 10 have a more extended bearing provided by the battens or strips 9 and thereby are more positive and reliable in performing their function. The wooden battens or strips are materially cheaper than wire strands extending full length over the members 5, 6, 7 and 8 and serve to hold the latter in better shape.

The improved shook also comprises ends l 3 which are primarily independent of the sides 5, 6, 7 and-8 and are so constructed that the sides ma be readily attached to them and secured suitable fastening devices. The ends 13 embody frame members ll of suitable dimensions having corner joints 15 in the form of stepped miters 15*, as shown by Fig. 3, beveled as at 15", Fig. 4, shaped as at 15, Fig. 5, or of any other form, with a metallic comiecting device or fastening 16 extending thereacross, one fas-' tening extending across each joint of the frame member. A panel 17 is secured against the inner sides of the frame members l4 and each end is thus completed before it is applied to the body of the shook or before the members 5, 6, 7 and 8 are secured thereto.

It will be understood that the frame members 1a have a length corresponding to or commensurate with the width of the members 5, ,6, 7 and 8 so that the parts will have an accurate relative fitting when assembled. By the use of the single fastening 16 across the joints 15, 15 15 and 15 of the frame members 14, a very positive fastening means for the said frame members is provided and the joints may be quickly completed in view of their construction, and after the fastenings 16 are applied it will be practically impossible for the joints to spring or for one frame member to become displaced relatively to the other.

In shipping the parts of the shook in bulk the members 5, 6, 7 and 8 may be laid out flat and arranged in stacks and the ends 13 likewise stacked so that a number of the shooks can be transported in such shape as to take u comparatively little room. The users of t e shooks without any special mechanical knowledge can readily assemble the ends 13 and the body composed of the members 5, 6, 7 and 8, and on return shipments the shooks may be again restored to separate or flat condition with material advantage in transportation and reused for a considerable length of time by a moderate amount of care. The improved shook can also be partially opened to render the contents thereof accessible and without complete dissociation of the ends 13 and the body members, or the side 7 may serve as a top lid or cover by loosening the same while the remaining sides or members are maintained in secured condition relatively to the ends 13. The parts of the shook may also be varied in their proportions and dimensions to adapt them for various uses.

\Vhat is claimed is:

In a device of the class specified, the combination of a plurality of side members con-' structed of thin material with flat inner surfaces clear of projections from end to end, the outer surfaces of the side members having battens extending transversely thereover at the opposite ends and at intermediate points, the battens terminating coincidently with the side edges of the members and permanently secured to the latter, the ends of the battens being reversely beveled, pliable wire staple fastenings secured to the pairs of contiguous end-s of the battens and to the 'adjacent portions of the side members and having their inner ends upset againstthe inner surfaces of the side members, each wire staple fastening terminating a short distance from the contiguous edges of theside members connected thereby to provide bendable hinges for the side members, the fastenings at the ends of the series of side members having one end of each free to provide readily separable bendable securing extremities to hold the edges of the end side members in close engagement, and head ends of square contour having smooth edges of a length equal to the width of each 'side member and around which the said side members are folded and secured by withdrawable fastenings, the head ends being primarily structurally completed and independent of the side members.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ULYSSES G. HOLLEY.

\Vitnesses:

WVILLIAM H. BORNEO, HAMMOND W. BOKER. 

